1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to electrical watthour meters and, specifically, to watthour meter mounting enclosures or socket adapters.
2. Description of the Art
Electrical power is supplied to an individual site or service by external electrical power line conductors located above or below ground. In a conventional arrangement, electrical power line conductors are connected to terminals in a watthour meter socket mounted on a building wall. Electrical load conductors are connected to another set of terminals in the meter socket and extend to the electrical distribution network in the building. A watthour meter is connected to both pairs of terminals in the meter socket to measure the electric power drawn through the load conductors.
Due to the current trend toward the use of plug-in watthour meters, A to S type socket adapters have been devised which convert A-base type bottom connected watthour meter sockets to receive plug-in watthour meters. Another type of socket adapter has been devised which allows the installation of other devices between the watthour meter socket and a plug-in watthour meter.
Such socket adapters employ a generally annular base having a shell joined thereto and extending outward from one side of the base. Jaw contacts are mounted in the shell and base. Each jaw contact has a female jaw portion disposed interiorly within the shell and a male blade terminal connected to the female jaw portion and extending outward through the base for plug-in connection to the terminals in the meter socket housing.
In previous watthour meter socket adapters, the jaw contacts were of two different constructions. In one construction, the jaw contacts have a folded over design formed of a base wall fixedly mounted by a fastener to the shell of the socket adapter and two spaced sidewalls extending therefrom. The outer ends of the sidewalls are folded over inwardly between the sidewalls and terminate in parallel end flanges which slidably receive a blade terminal of a watthour meter. A blade terminal is usually fixedly connected to the base wall of the jaw contact for connection to jaw contact in a meter socket.
In the second construction, the jaw contacts are formed of a generally planar terminal having opposed first and second ends. An angularly bent spring clip is riveted at one end to an intermediate portion of the terminal and extends to a contact edge disposed in separable engagement with the first end of the terminal to form a jaw for receiving the blade terminal of a watthour meter. The spring clip forcibly biases the watthour meter terminal into secure electrical engagement with the terminal. The second end of the blade terminal extends exteriorly from the base of the watthour meter socket adapter for releasable engagement in a socket jaw contact. A cotter pin is inserted through an intermediate aperture in the terminal to fixedly mount the terminal and jaw contact in position in the watthour meter socket adapter.
Other contact configurations, such as a three finger contact shown in the current assignee""s prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,300, have also been devised.
However, it is believed that further improvements can be made to watthour meter socket adapter jaw contact and blade terminal structure for use in different applications.
In one aspect of the present invention, the separate three finger potential jaw contact and the separate blade terminal are interconnected in a unitary structure, while remaining electrically isolated from each other by means of a coupler which engages opposed side edges of one jaw contact and one blade terminal.
In one aspect, the coupler is formed of an electrically insulating material and is constructed of a one piece member. A first end portion of the coupler receives the jaw contact and an opposed second end portion receives the blade terminal.
In one aspect, an engagement member is carried on the first portion of the coupler for releasably engaging the jaw contact when the jaw contact is mounted in the first end of the coupler.
In another aspect of the coupler, the coupler is in the form of a one piece body having opposed end portions, a first end portion receiving the jaw contact and a second end portion for receiving the blade terminal.
This aspect of the present coupler is ideally suited for use with a jaw contact having a U-shaped channel portion. The first end portion of the coupler is fixedly mounted within the channel portion in a non-rotatable position. The blade terminal also has a channel-shaped end for receiving the second end portion of the coupler.
In one aspect, the coupler may be formed as an electrical fuse with outwardly extending end tabs which are joinable to the jaw contact and blade terminal.
In another aspect of the present invention, an electrical contact is mountable in a watthour meter socket adapter and has a base, an electrical conductor connector projecting from one end of the base, and three laterally spaced legs projecting from the base to define a jaw contact. Support and wall members extend from the base for forming recesses which receive one edge of the base of the contact to fix the contact in the socket adapter.
The socket adapter and coupler of the present invention uniquely enables separate jaw contacts and blade terminals to be uniquely carried in a one piece unit for ease of assemble and mounting in a socket adapter. The coupler may take many different forms, one allowing the connection of separate, typically large diameter electrical conductors to the jaw contact and the blade terminal. In another aspect, the coupler may take the form of an electrical fuse having end portions electrically connected to the jaw contact and the blade terminal.